Wing-lifting brace for railroad spreaders



Jan. 7, 1930. V, TELLls 1,742,327

WING LIFTING BRACE FOR RAILROAD SPREQDERS Filed 001;. 14, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Infenm vm/od gig/21's Jan. 7, 1930. v. G. TELLIS WING'LIFTING BRACE FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS 2 Shets-Sheet. 2

Filed 00?,- 14. 1926 Inf 271E? [0d GY/Z aim 11161113 of the invention illustrated in the ac- Patented Jan. 7, 1930 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE vsE voLoD G. mm, OF EAST cirroeeo, rumane issienoa TO o. r. JQRDAN 001v:- PANY, or ms'r orrroaeo, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA WING-marine BRACE FOB RAILROAD srrtEAnER-s Applicationiilerlloctober 14, 1926. Serial No.141,4 85.

. This invention relates to improvements n wing lifting braces for railroad spreaders and it consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularlypomted:out

o in the: appended claims. 1

Theprimary object of the present invention is to providean improved construct1on of wing lifting brace for railroad Spreaders including a power cylinder located directly in the line of'pull instead of being offset to one side thereof as in constructions heretofore employed. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a brace of the kind including telescopic tubular members one of which has a portion soformed as to directlyjengage the cylinder which formsan effective part of the brace.

Still another object of the invent on is to providea brace'of the kind which is more simple to manufacture andis more efficient in operation than those heretofore employed. These objects of the invention, as well as .Cothers, together" with themany advantages thereohxwill moreifullyappear as I proceed 1 with myspecification.v 1.

In the drawings: 1 1 v Y 1 FlgYl 1s a view n slde elevation of a ran Jroad spreader embodying my improved wing lifting brace.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View on an enlarged scale as taken a 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectlonal view through the improved brace'on a further enlarged scale as taken on the line 3-3 0f Fig. 2. r

Figsfi i-and 5 are transverse vertlcal and detail sectional views as taken on the hnes 4"4; and 5-,5 respectively of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detailto that embodion the line 2-2 of companying drawings: 1 indicatesas a whole the car of a railroad spreader adapted to travel ontherails 2 of a railroad track; On

eachside of the: car, a suitable distance from thefront endthereof is an upright wing post 3 suitably fiXQCltO and braced from the un derframe of the car. A hinge "block carriage 4 is arranged in said post for a vertlcal shding guiding movement and sa1d-carr1age"1nby a vertical includes an outer endtubularmember l4 cludes laterally extending, top and bottom hinge blocks 5 and 6 respectively. Operatively connected to the bottom hinge block pin 7' is a hinge'plate 8 embracing the inner endof'the main spreader or side wing 9 which is connected to said hinge plate by a horizontally arranged pin .10. Associated with the top hinge block 5 rangement in said brace which forms the es sence of the present invention. Said brace in the formofa pipe and an inner end tubular member 15 of peculiar construction, in whichfthe inner end of the tubular member lefhas a telescopic engagement. The outer end'of the member 14 is operatively connected to the top edge of the wing 9 by a horizontalpin 16 extending transversely of the wing and fixed atits ends in upright flanges l7-l7 on said wing. On one side of said tubular member near its inner endis a plurality of longitudinally spaced .holes 18 -18. The member loincludes an outer tubular portion 19 totelescopically receive the inner end of the member 14 and the inner end of said member 15 lSTOIIIlGdtO provide oppositely disposeddiverging arms 20 -20each terminatingat its free end in a transversely dis posed plate 21. Said arms are duly reinforced by pairs of. ribs or flanges 2222. which extend from the tubular portion 19 to the respective transverse plates 21. The plates 21-521 of said arms are of course parallel and are spaced a suitable distance apart to receive betweenthem the outer end of a cylinder 23 arranged coaxially with thetubular members l andl9, respectively. The cylinder is provided on opposite sides with fiattenedbosses 24 -2 1 with which the arm plates 21 are directly engaged and bolted thereto. Said cylinder has inner and outer heads 25 and 26 respectively and the inner head has a triangular extension 27 which is pivotally connected to the hinge block 11 by a horizon tally disposed pin 28. Within the cylinder is a piston 29 the associated piston rod 30 of which extends through a suitable stu'lfing box in the outer head and into the inner end of the tubular member 14 to which it is detachably connected by a pin and sleeve arrangement 31 as best shown in Fi 3. Motive fluid under pressure is'admitted to the outer end of the cylinder by a conduit 32 extending through the head 26 and leading from a suitable source of supply under pressure such as a tank 33 on the earl. In the cylinder head 25 is a port or 0 ening 34. r

T e tubular portion 19 of the member 15 is formed with an apertured seat 35 and laterally spaced ears 36'upon which engages a smal transversely disposed cylinder 37. Said cylinder has integral spaced ears 38 bolted to the ears 36 and an apertured head plate 39 is enga ed between said seat 35 and the inner end 0 the cylinder. The outer or head end of the cylinder is formed with a port or opening 40. Within the cylinderis a piston 41 carrying a pin 42 adapted to extend through the plate 39 and seat 35 and to enter any one of the openings 18 in the pipe member 14. A spring 43 located in the cylinder normally urges the piston 41 upwardly toward said member 14. I A conduit 44 is operatively connected to the inner end of the cylinder and said conduit leads oil from the tank 33. Of course there are suitable controlling valves (not shown) arran ed in the conduits 32 and 44 for controlling the passage of motive fluid from the tank 33 to the respective cylinders. In operation, assume that it is desired to change the vertical angular position of the wing 9 from the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l to the one shown in full lines in said figure. Motive fluid under pressure is admitted from the tank 33 through the conduit 44 to the inner end of the cylinder 37 thus moving the piston 41 outwardly against the action of the spring 43 which is thereby compressed, the cylinder venting through the port or o ening 40. In this movement of the piston, t 1e pin 42 is withdrawn from its ocked position'in one of the holes 18 in the member 14, after which motive fluid under pressure is admitted to the outer end of the cylinder 23 to move the piston 29 toward the cylinder head 25, the air in advance of the piston passing out through the port-or vent 34.

When the desired hole 18 comes into line with the piston pin 42, motive fluid is cut off from the cylinder 37 and the spring 43 then acts to force the pin 42 into the hole 18 and thus lock the two parts of the brace together. Of course when the piston 29 moves as before described, the effective entire length of the brace arm is shortened, thus swinging the wing upwardly into the full line position shown in Fig. 1, about the pin 10 connecting the wing 9 to the hinge plate 8. When it is desired to permit a downward swing to the wing, the pin 42 is withdrawn as before mentioned thus unlocking the two brace parts 14 and 15 after which enough. motive fluid is admitted to the cylinder 23 to prevent the too rapid downward swing of the wing about the pin 10 under the action of gravity due to the weight of the wing and when the proper hole 18 lines up with the pin 42, motive fluid is cut off from the cylinder 37 and the pin 42 enters the said hole 18 and again locks the parts together.

It is apparent that the pull of the cylinder is in line with the axis of the wing brace 13 and that the cylinder forms an effective part of the wing brace as a whole. Vvith such a construction, a greater angle of elevation may be imparted to the wing without any binding action between the parts thereof. Again the number of parts are materially reduced with a corresponding reduction in cost of manufacture.

WVhile in describing my invention I have referred to numerous details of mechanical construction as well as to form and arrangement of the parts thereof, I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A railroad spreader comprising a car, a wingswingably connected thereto, a brace connecting the car and wing and embodying therein a plurality of telescopic parts one connected to the car and the other connected to the wing, means for locking said parts together, a cylinder mounted on one of said parts coaxially with the other part and a piston and piston rod in said cylinder with the piston rod connected to said other part.

2. A railroad spreader comprising a car, a wing swingably. connected thereto, a brace connecting the car and wing and embodying therein two tubular telescopic members, one connected to the car and the other connected to the wing, means for locking said members together,a cylinder connected to one of said tubular telescopic members and in axial alignment with both of said members, a piston in said cylinder and a rod connecting said piston with said other tubular telescopic members.

3. A wingswinging brace of the kind described embodying therein two tubular members, the one telescopic in the other, one of said members including opposed arm extensions, a cylinder operatively secured to said extensions in coaxial alignment with said tubular members, a piston in said cylinder, a

$ scopic parts, a wmg actuat ng motor connectbottom wing block, a wing liftingbrace in cluding inner and outer telescopic tubular members, means connecting the outer telescopic member to the wing, a cylinderconnected to the inner telescopic member in coaxial alignment therewith, and also pivotally connected to the top wing block, a piston with the piston and at the other end connected to the inner end of said outer telescopic tubular member, and means carried by said inner telescopic member to engage 1n one of a plurahty of holes 1n the outer telescopic memher to lock said members together.

5. A wing swinging brace of the kind described embodyino; therein, a tubular mem-'- her having oppositely disposed diverging arms at one end, a second tubular member telescopic inthe first tubular member, a power cylinder arranged between and fixed to said arms, in axial alignment with both of said tubular telescopic members, a piston in said cylinder, a rod connected to said piston at one end and at its other end to said second mentionedtubular member and means carried by saidfirst mentioned tubular member for locking both of them together.

6. A rallroad spreader comprising a car, a wing swingably attached thereto, a brace extending between the wing and the car, said brace comprising a plurality of tubular teleed to one of said telescopicparts as an exmtension of an end thereof, and means disposed axially with respect to said tubular telescopic parts for connectingpsaid motor and the other of said telescopic parts.

7. A Wing lifting brace of the kind described embodying therein a plurality of tubular telescopic parts, a cylinder mounted upon and forming an extension of one of said telescopic parts, and a piston and piston rod in said cylinder, said piston rod being disposed axially of said tubular telescopic parts and operatively connected to said other telescopic part.

8. A wing liftingbrace of the kind described embodying therein a plurality of tubular telescopic parts, a cylinder remoV- ably mounted upon and forming an extension of one end of one of said telescopic parts, and a piston and piston rod in said cylinder, said piston rod being disposed axially of said axially of said telescopic members and opera-r tively connecting said motor to said other ing laterally ofiset arms at one end, a motor secured to said ofiset arms and forming an extension of sa1d brace member, and means dlsposed axially of said telescoplc members in said cylinder, a rod engaged at one end and operatively connecting said motor to said other telescopic member.

11. A wing lifting brace embodying thereintwo members one telescopic with respect to the other, one of said members including telescopic parts and operatively connected to i said other telescopic part.

laterally offset arms at one end, a motor secured to said ofli'set arms, and means disposed 

